Tuesday Timesaver: Make-Ahead Muffins Even Picky Eaters Love

No matter how picky he’s feeling, my Little Food Camel can’t resist a good quick bread. Of course he could suddenly decide he dislikes quick breads tomorrow, but this morning he couldn’t eat his oatmeal-blueberry muffin fast enough. His other favorites, which I make without seeds or nuts, are pumpkin muffins, zucchini-oat bread with raisins (which I had a major craving for the morning he was born), and banana muffins. I love that I can make these quick breads ahead — all of the recipes I linked to here require 20 minutes or less of prep — and serve them for breakfast, as an afternoon snack, or a dinner side dish. And I can fill them with nutritious ingredients such as whole-wheat flour, oats, fruits, and veggies, which is HUGE because Bug tends to spit out only the most nutritious foods these days, except when they’re tucked away in a fluffy, delicious carb.
One caveat, particularly if your kid is as messy as mine is: The stuff is messy. In fact, the mess that Mason managed to make with his muffin this morning was stunning. By the time he was finished, his little face and hands were coated in blueberry-colored crumbs, and he had somehow managed to rub the mess into the tiny blonde curls in the back of his head. (I ended up trapping him on the floor between my ankles and scrubbing his hair with a wet washcloth.) Oddly and thankfully, none of it got on his clothes. Despite the fact that I was crawling around on the floor with a dustpan and broom in a skirt and heels, the mess was absolutely worth it — Bug ate almost the entire muffin, including all the fruit in it, which delighted us both.

It seems too good to be true, but Mason smiled AND ate his breakfast this morning — no negotiating, pleading, or bribing required.